Breathable Plug Fixture for EV Oil Sealing and Vapor Venting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electric vehicles with electric drive modules face challenges in preventing oil leakage while allowing vapor escape due to oil splashing and expansion, which can occur through system vents or filters.
Innovation Solution
A breathable plug fixture with a fixation portion and plug portion featuring a resilient external thread and external clips, forming a fluid-tight seal that allows gas passage but blocks liquid, equipped with a lock and guide for secure fitment, and optionally includes wings to capture and direct oil droplets.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If a vent or filter is provided in the electric drive module, then vapor can escape the system, but oil droplets may be suspended or dispersed and escape through the vent or filter
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a breathable plug with a porous structure that allows vapor to pass through while blocking liquid oil droplets. The porous material is designed with pore sizes that permit gas molecules to diffuse through while preventing larger liquid droplets from passing, thus resolving the contradiction between vapor escape and oil containment.
Solution Approach 2:
The plug fixture incorporates different regions with distinct properties: a breathable region for vapor passage and a sealing region for liquid blocking. The local quality varies within the plug structure, with hydrophobic properties in oil-contact zones and breathable properties in vapor-escape zones, enabling simultaneous fulfillment of opposing requirements.
2Loss of substance
If the system is run in a closed configuration, then oil is retained, but oil expansion and vapor escape are prevented
Solution Approach 1:
The breathable plug acts as an intermediary element between the closed oil-filled system and the external environment. It mediates the conflict between maintaining system closure for oil retention and allowing controlled release for pressure and vapor management, enabling the system to function in a semi-closed state.
Solution Approach 2:
The plug exploits phase transition differences between vapor and liquid to resolve the contradiction. It allows gaseous phase (vapor) to pass through while blocking liquid phase (oil), enabling pressure equalization and vapor escape while maintaining oil retention through the same component.
3Loss of substance
If a secure seal is formed to prevent oil leakage, then liquid blocking is improved, but gas passage may be restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The plug fixture is segmented into functional zones: a sealing portion for liquid blocking and a breathable portion for vapor passage. This segmentation allows each zone to optimize its specific function without compromising the other, with the sealing portion providing liquid-tight closure and the breathable portion enabling gas permeability.
Solution Approach 2:
The plug employs composite material construction combining materials with different properties: hydrophobic materials for oil rejection and breathable materials for vapor transmission. The composite structure integrates these contrasting material properties into a single component that simultaneously achieves liquid sealing and gas permeability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Effectively prevents oil leakage while allowing vapor escape, maintaining a secure and efficient seal under varying temperatures and vibrations, reducing maintenance needs.
Implementation Method 1
a plug portion (108) associated with the aperture, the plug portion (108) comprising a resilient external thread (112) having a dimension sufficient to form an interference push fit with the aperture
Implementation Method 2
the resilient external thread, when in use, permits the passage of gas but prevents the passage of liquid
Data Source
AI summary
A breathable plug that allows gas to pass through while blocking liquids. The plug includes a base section with an opening designed to hold a plug piece. The plug also has one or more flexible clips on the outside that match the surface of the object it attaches to. The plug piece fits into the opening and has a flexible outer thread that is sized to create a tight push-fit connection with the opening.